Her Other Asset
by HannibabestheCannibabes
Summary: 'Well, I have to go and meet my employer's nephews and explain why she only sent her assistant to spend the day with them. Don't worry, I won't show them anything too scary. Like the t-rex, or the extent of our relationship.' Jurassic World AU where everything is the same, except Claire Dearing is definitely dating her assistant. Claire/Zara.
1. Chapter 1

**Her Other Asset**

'How are you feeling about today, then?'

'Totally fine. The asset's growth rate is on schedule, it will more than impress the investors. Or, even if not, the rest of the attractions should give a good enough show…'

'You can cut the awful management rubbish with me, Claire.' Zara lifted a hand to lightly caress the other woman's face. 'I'm not one of your board members, and this is hardly a meeting.'

The two women were lying in bed, facing each other, their bodies as close as they could be without embracing. Outside, Claire could hear the sounds she now associated with the beginning of a new day, the low calling of the brontosauruses, the distant roaring of some carnivore. She knew these were the sounds that brought the visitors in, or at least their sources were. She knew that somewhere in the resort hotel there would probably be children pressed to the glass of their bedroom windows, listening in wonder. But her attention was fully focused on her assistant besides her, her mind free from distractions, a luxury she never seemed to have outside of bed.

'I'm worried about the Rex. The Indominus.'

Zara frowned. 'You know I don't know half of the names of the things on this island.'

Claire couldn't help but smile at that. Considering they were working in a park containing the World's only living dinosaurs, there was a high degree of apathy in Jurassic World amongst employees. None perhaps so much as Zara, who had previously admitted she'd only applied to the job to be far away from British weather, and because she was promised her boss would be pretty. 'The Indominus Rex, the latest attraction. The genetically engineered one.'

'Oh, the test-tube dinosaur?'

'It's proving costly. A lot more costly than was ever predicted by the accountants. It's growing too quickly for the paddock, it ate the sibling, which is thousands of dollars wasted already, and no-one can yet tell me exactly what sort of attraction they want it to be. Or even if it's going to be safe enough to put near guests.' She sighed and rolled onto her back. 'Yet somehow I'm going to have to sell this to the investors.'

'Don't tell me Claire Dearing is doubting herself?' Zara joked. 'You've been preparing for this meeting for weeks, I've heard you rehearsing this speech everywhere. I'm pretty sure you've even been rehearsing in your sleep.' She noted the ghost of a smile that seemed to pass over Claire's lips at that thought. 'Besides, if you do screw up, however unlikely that is, I've no doubt one of these dinosaurs will impress them enough to invest. '

'I just wish it wasn't the same weekend the kids were visiting.' She sighed again, and looked over at her assistant. 'You are still able to collect them? And look after them? I don't want them out of your sight.'

'I'm well aware of how to babysit.' She raised an eyebrow in response. 'What were their names again?'

'Zach and Gray.'

'And how old?'

'Oh. Erm…Well…it's been a couple of years since I've seen them. And they were…maybe 7 and 5 then? So they'd be, maybe 9?'

'I'm just going to look for two small children who'll be disappointed to see me and not their Aunt.' She sat up and reached across to the bedside table for her phone to make notes. 'Is there anything you want me to do with them specifically?'

'I don't know. Whatever young boys like. The petting zoo, maybe? Don't take them on the gyrospheres though, we'll do that with them tomorrow when we can keep an eye on them both.' Claire sat up too, also reaching for her phone. 'Oh, and avoid the scary stuff. So don't take them to see the tyrannosaurus, or the mosasaur. I don't want you giving them nightmares, my sister would kill me.'

'So I'll take them to the petting zoo, and Starbucks? Maybe the gift shop, provided I keep them away from the scary looking teddies?' She rolled her eyes, before looking over at the American. 'And what exactly did you tell them about me? Did you tell them we were together, or just dating? Should I be expecting any awkward questions? They aren't going to want to call me Aunt Zara, are they? At 9, they should probably be too old for that, but you never know with kids.' At Claire's silence, she frowned. 'You have told them, haven't you?'

'I haven't had chance yet…'

'Claire!'

'I was going to, the last time my sister phoned. But she started talking about her divorce and I just couldn't do it.'

'You've had months.'

'Divorces take months, Zara.' She put down her phone and took her assistant's hand. 'I will tell them, I promise.'

'You said the exact same thing last time we had this conversation. And yet now I'm going to go meet your nephews as your personal assistant, when I thought we were a bit closer than that. You do want to tell them?'

'Of course I do. I've just been so busy with this new attraction, and managing investors, and now Karen's divorce. I just haven't found the right time.' She noted the doubting look that passed across Zara's face. 'There will be a right time. Just not yet. I have it all to plan, trust me.'

'Fine.' Zara let go of Claire's hand and climbed out of the bed, collecting her clothes from the night before. 'Well, I have to go and meet my employer's nephews and explain why she only sent her assistant to spend the day with them, despite knowing they've been coming for months.'

'You don't need to be this mad with me.' A fierce glare from her assistant told her otherwise.

'Don't worry, I won't show them anything too scary. Like the t-rex, or the extent of our relationship.'

'Zara!'

'Good luck with the investors.' Redressed, Zara looked back at Claire, still sat in bed, a sorry expression on her face, and then she left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Claire lay in bed for another five minutes after her assistant left, her mind relaying the conversation with perfect detail, as usual, and she cursed. Zara had every right to be upset, she knew that. She had said she'd break the news months ago. And Claire knew she'd be just as furious if the situation was reversed. But, just like the kids' visit, she wished it had happened on a different day.

Eventually, she realised with a long sigh, she probably needed to get up. _Meetings don't get cancelled just because you have a fight with your…lover_? She shook her head just thinking about it as she walked to the shower. Simply the word 'lover' made Claire feel uncomfortable, like she was a married woman involved in some torrid affair in the 1940s _. Girlfriend?_ No, too childish. She wasn't a love-struck teenager, she was the 34 year old Operations Manager at one of the World's biggest attractions. _Maybe best stick to assistant_ , she shrugged, as she turned the shower on and stepped under the hot jet of water. Under her breath, she began practising her speech again for the investors, her mouth moving slowly, to ensure she would not stumble over the words when it really mattered. Her head, however, seemed unwilling to co-operate, her mind still focused on her raven-haired assistant.

* * *

 _She couldn't quite remember when it had started. Or how it had started. She knew the attraction had been instant. But that was to be expected, Zara was undeniably beautiful. And it wasn't like the feeling was new at all to Claire, she'd had a fair few relationships with women before. If, by relationship, she could count a couple of dates, mind-blowing sex, and then the realisation she was probably too busy to continue it any further. Her family had always been accepting of her. Her sister was perhaps the worst. Karen had always been drawn to the dream of a husband and children, she couldn't help but assume, despite Claire's amazing success career-wise, that she would eventually want the same herself. Maybe that was when it all started with Zara._

 _Her sister had been pressuring her for months to begin dating again. Claire had just received her promotion. Operations Manager of Jurassic World. She'd been working there since it opened, 10 years ago, and she'd thrown herself fully into her work, immersing herself entirely, barely even time for family events. In fact, she dreaded to think how many birthdays she'd missed. But with the new promotion, Karen put her foot down. Threatened to start arranging blind dates, giving her single friends Claire's phone number. Reminded her of her ever-increasing age and ever-decreasing childbearing potential. Naturally, she'd rolled her eyes when Karen told her all of this on the phone, but she played along, arranged a couple of dates. It hadn't been easy, of course, to find many eligible suitors, given she worked on a dinosaur resort on a tiny Costa Rican island, but she'd succeeded. Perhaps, in reflection however, that's why they hadn't really worked out. The last one, the raptor trainer, had been enough to put an end to her dating ideas, despite her sister's protests. Who wears shorts and orders tequila on a first date? And then spends the whole date talking about genetically engineered park attractions like children? That disaster had actually led to her breaking her diet the following day, when she'd ordered in her favourite wine from the mainland, and invited her assistant to join her. Zara was new, she became her assistant only when Claire became Operations Manager. But she was good, she knew what Claire wanted, not just what she asked for. And she supposed that was when it all started. The night they toasted Claire's failed love life with overpriced white wine in her suite overlooking the park._

 _And then, for some reason, it continued._

* * *

Claire was shocked out of her thoughts by the sound of her phone ringing from her bedroom. She left the shower running and grabbed a towel from the rail as she ran to answer it, praying to her non-existent god that it was not corporate having decided to put the meeting three hours earlier than planned. She gave a small sigh of relief when she did see who was calling.

'Karen, hi.'

'Sis! I wasn't sure if I'd reach you, I know it's early.' Karen's voice was light, almost too light, like she was trying too hard to be cheery, and was actually only moments away from collapsing into a sobbing wreck. The same as she had been for months.

'I run one of the World's biggest tourist attractions, there's no such time as too early.'

'Then they're working you too hard.' She laughed, and Claire forced herself to join in. 'So how are you? How are things going?'

'Look, Karen, I'd love to talk but I left the shower running and I do need to get dressed. I have such a busy day…'

'Before the boys arrive, of course. That's actually why I phoned. We're dropping them off in about an hour, and then with travel and everything, she should be at the park by about midday. You'll definitely be there to meet them, won't you? Straight off the boat?' She asked earnestly, and Claire couldn't bring herself to disappoint her sister.

'Of course, straight off the boat.'

'They're so excited, Claire, you have no idea. I mean Zach might not act like it, but he is really. He's just going through that moody teenager stage right now.' _So he wasn't 9. Maybe it was early teens. It can't have been that long since she'd seen them_. 'I'm sure you'll understand one day.'

She rolled her eyes as her sister spoke. 'Trust me, Karen, I see enough moody teenagers here. I definitely understand.'

'You know what I mean, Claire.'

'Of course I do.' At the hint of another dating speech from her sister, she couldn't help but think of the argument again that morning. _There has to be a right time eventually_. 'Look, Karen, I really have to go now. But, maybe sometime soon we can have a chat. A proper one. I have something I need to tell you.'

'Something you need to…? Nothing bad? You're not ill or anything?'

'No. God, no. Just something I want to talk about. I'll phone you after this weekend, when things are a bit less crazy.'

'Ok.' She sounded hesitant. 'You know, you are really bad at setting a mother's mind at ease when she's sending her kids to visit. Is it something to do with the park?'

'No.' Claire shook her head, regretting her choice of words as she listened to her sister panic down the phone. 'It's nothing to do with the park, and it's nothing bad at all. It's something personal I just want to share. You'll be glad when you hear it. Is that more reassuring for you?'

'Yes, thank you.' There was a moment's pause. 'Are you seeing someone? Is that it?'

She interrupted before Karen tried to interrogate her further. 'Now, I really have to go. Lots to do before my nephews arrive.' She smiled, trying to feign excitement through the phone line. It seemed to work.

'Of course! I knew you'd be just as excited to see them! Ok, I'll leave you to it. Remember, meet them off the boat, and please keep a really close eye on them.'

'Of course. No need to worry. Everything will be fine.'

'And I look forward to this news of yours.'

'Yes.' Claire nodded, desperate to end the conversation before Karen started making anymore wild guesses to delay the conversation further. 'Talk soon.'

'Talk soon, sis!'

She returned to the shower almost immediately after hanging up, aware of the delay in her morning schedule. She raced through her shower routine in an attempt to make up time, grateful she'd laid out her outfit for the day the night before. Claire could handle the laughter of men like Owen Grady at her plans, and schedules, and itineraries, when they saved her the time and effort they did. Once out and drying, she eyed up the mobile lying on her bed before picking it up and dialling. Answerphone. _To be expected really_.

'Zara, it's Claire. Just to let you know Karen phoned, she said the boys would be here about midday, so if you could make sure you're there ready for them. Take a sign as well, just so they know who to look for. She said you might have trouble with the eldest one. I think he's about 13, she said he was going through his moody teenager stage. But I have no doubt you can handle him. Remember nothing too scary. But if one of them really is 13, I suppose you could show them the Mosasaur. But only if they complain about the petting zoo.' She paused for a second, trying to decide how to say what she wanted, aware of the limited message time. 'I also thought about what you said earlier. I told Karen I had something I wanted to tell her, after this weekend's over. I'll tell her everything then, I promise you.' Another pause. 'Bring the boys to the Visitors' Centre. I'll meet you there.'

Zara smiled when she heard it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They say that, in the moments before your death, time slows almost to a stop. Zara knew this to be true. When she was grabbed by the pterodactyl, the claws gripping into her shoulders, piercing the skin mercilessly, time had been going at almost double speed. She could focus on nothing. Nothing except her own panic, the adrenaline coursing through her veins telling her to fight. And when she plunged into the water, even then time did not seem to slow. Still she was fighting without focus, desperate to escape, to be safe. But when she saw the beast rise beneath the water, her snout piercing the surface ready to jump, that was when time slowed for Zara.

She'd always imagined her death as a peaceful moment, lying in a hospital bed somewhere, silently contemplating her life. Her successes. Her mistakes. Yet she was to be robbed of that by this creature. The mosasaurus. It would, of course, be at this moment that she remembered such trivial information as the monster's name. 60 feet long. 15 tons in weight. _Claire would be so impressed_. Time had already slowed for the personal assistant, as she dangled ten feet above the water caught in the claws of a pterodactyl, watching in horror as the mosasaurus began to open its jaws and prepare to leap, but it was the thought of Claire that made time stop entirely.

She knew she'd have regrets on her deathbed. She regretted wasting her teenage years in a constant cycle of dieting and self-hatred. She regretted not recognising in her first year of university that she just wasn't cut out for academia and probably needed to pursue life outside it. She regretted the ridiculous matching back tattoos she'd let her ex talk her into. But Zara regretted nothing more than the things she had never told Claire.

She regretted the argument that morning, walking out without even considering Claire's point of view. She should have apologised herself, admitted she overreacted, told her the matter was trivial really given the rest of the mayhem that occupied Claire's life. Zara regretted ever letting her boss date any of the men she did, all of whom were beneath her, none of whom deserved the time she took out of her day to spend with them. She should have told Claire to tell her sister to fuck herself, that Claire had worked her way to the position of Operations Manager at Jurassic World, that she didn't need to demean herself by dating men who were clearly her inferiors. And if she hadn't been convinced, Zara should have kissed her then, rather than wait like a coward until they were both drunk on wine. She should have told her that none of those men would care for her like she really deserved, not like Zara did. She regretted never telling Claire exactly what she thought of her. She regretted never telling Claire how beautiful she was, how intelligent she was. How much she loved Claire's need for organisation. How reassuring she found all the schedules and itineraries. She regretted never telling Claire that she'd probably never been in love before, not really, not as deeply as she was in love with her.

And then, time seemed to move at speed again. And as she saw the jaws rising around her, she realised she'd never be able to tell Claire anything again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Claire's World was crashing down around her. Her whole life, everything she had worked towards for the past 10 years, destroyed. She'd never been comfortable with the Indominus Rex. The secrecy of the geneticists about its DNA make-up. The way it had surpassed all expectations of its growth, and intelligence. And now it was out. It was out and it was hunting, and killing, and people were dying. And it was entirely Claire's fault.

She couldn't quite believe the chaos still. Every part of her logical mind was telling her that she was wrong. That Jurassic World was still running smoothly. That Masrani wasn't dead. That there weren't dinosaurs running wild around them, proving they weren't controllable assets, that they couldn't be controlled by anyone, as hard as Claire tried. And everyone she cared about was lost to her.

 _Zach and Gray_. She knew they should have been her first concern. And, of course, she was terrified about their safety. They were missing, and alone. Should they die, Claire knew she would not only be mourning the deaths of her only nephews, but the loss of her relationship with her sister. Karen would never forgive her should they die on this island. But her first thought lay with Zara. She was alone on the island too, and now not only had the Indominus escaped, but the pterodactyls were out. And she wasn't prepared to think what that meant for the boys. Or Zara.

The phone call had been reassuring. _Zara had Zach and Gray. They were alive_. She just had to meet them now. Owen might have been a lousy date, but Claire was grateful for him now. They were both still alive, which is more than she would have been able to guarantee alone. She wasn't a ranger. She was management. She didn't need to know how to survive, just how to control. _Though she couldn't even manage that._ Claire shook her head. Once she had the others, they could make their way to the control centre. _Get the Park back under control. They would all be safe._ Get everyone to the boats. No-one else needed to die on this god-forsaken island.

* * *

'Aunt Claire!'

'Oh my god, Gray! And Zach!' The boys ran over to their aunt, who dropped the weapon she'd just used to beat the pterodactyl off of Owen, and knelt down, placing her hands on Gray's shoulders. 'You're alright? You're both alright? Neither of you are hurt? I am not letting you leave my sight again. I'm not leaving you again, I promise.' She was speaking without pause, not allowing the boys any chance at answering her. She stopped suddenly, however, aware of the absence of the third person she'd been desperate to see. She stood up, letting her hands fall, her heart in her mouth. 'Where's Zara? Boys, where's…?'

'Who's this?' Zach nodded to Owen, who raised a hand in greeting.

'Owen Grady, he works for me. He trains the raptors,' Claire responded dismissively, her eyes searching in the crowd before her, her heart pounding rapidly. She turned back to her nephews. 'Where's Zara? My assistant, the woman I left you with earlier, where is she? She phoned me, she said she was going to meet you? Did she find you? Is she still out there?'

'She was eaten.' The words seemed to fall out of Gray's mouth before he realised, despite his brother's insistent head shaking. 'She was with us, then the pterodactyl came down…' Claire didn't hear the rest of her nephew's response, everything around her was fuzzy as her mind still struggled to understand what had happened. _Zara was…dead?_

'It was the mosasaurus. We couldn't do anything.' Zach interrupted his brother, aware of Gray's hysterical ramblings and the effect they seemed to be having on his aunt.

Claire had always dismissed writings that had said shock and grief could hit you physically. Any book that had ever compared the feelings to being _'_ hit by a truck', she thought the most popular one was, had always been left as sentimental garbage. Even from a young age, Claire had always acknowledged grief as a scientific process. She'd followed healing processes diligently, even composing checklists to ensure she reached and dealt with each stage in the most efficient of ways. But now, she could think of no better way to describe how she felt than as having been hit by a truck. Her lungs felt crushed, unable to draw breath, and she felt herself visibly shaking. She wanted to retch. _The mosasaurus_. _Zara was gone_. Her whole mind felt blank except for those two thoughts, which seemed to be burning painfully.

'Claire, we need to get out of here, it isn't safe. Claire?'

Grady's voice was enough to break through to her, and she realised that her three companions were staring at her, seemingly in expectation. Her eyes passed from Owen to her nephews, and she felt her mind clear entirely, her body going into auto-pilot, the only way she could possibly still function despite her sudden aching loss.

'The control centre. We need to get to the control centre. We should be able to deal with everything from in there.' Her voice was neutral. All her previous feelings had gone, her mind occupied by one thought. _They needed to be safe_.

* * *

'Claire. Claire, wait.' Owen jogged up beside her as she power-walked down the corridor of the control centre towards the main room. He'd left the boys in another part of the building, entirely safe but away from the discussions that would need to be had that would not help reassure them. The Operations Manager had just walked off however, her eyes straight forward, her mind focused on something far away from Owen, Zach and Gray. She didn't slow even at the sound of his voice, simply turning her head slightly to acknowledge his presence.

'Mr Grady, we need to get this park back under control. To do that, we need to address the rest of the employees and plan a strategy. We can't do that by stopping.'

'You don't think we should stop and discuss what happened earlier? You know, your assistant getting killed?'

'Her name was Zara.' Claire couldn't stop herself from snapping, before cooling again. 'And it was a tragic accident.'

'Claire.' He grabbed her arm and she stopped and turned to meet his gaze. 'I was in the Navy for years before I came to Jurassic World. I know the difference between losing a colleague, however important they were, and losing someone closer to you.' With that, Claire turned and continued to walk again, but slower. With every question, she felt her mind cloud, and her heartbeat quicken.

'We don't have time for this, Mr Grady.'

'Would it kill you to call me Owen?' He followed her, persistent in his questioning. 'Who was she, Claire?'

'Not now.' Her voice sounded slightly muffled. Almost choked.

'A friend? A relative? Bit of nepotism going on in management there?'

'She was my girlfriend.' She couldn't stop herself. Her own voice seemed beyond her control. 'We were seeing each other…dating…I don't know. We were together' Claire stopped suddenly and turned again, this time exposing the tears that had filled her pale eyes and were starting to slip down her cheeks. ' I loved her, Owen. I loved her and I never told her.'

'Shit, Claire…'

Owen had not been entirely sure what he'd been expecting, but it certainly had not been the Operations Manager sinking to the floor in front of him, her slim frame wracked with sobs. He instinctively knelt down beside her, reaching out to comfort her. She shook him off however, too immersed in her grief to cope with his physical presence.

'Do you know what we did this morning? We argued. Our last morning together…her last morning…and we argued. I apologised to her over a voicemail.'

'No-one does what they should do their last morning. If we knew when our last morning was, we would spend the whole time trying to put off our deaths. You can't think about that…'

'I should have truly apologised. I should have told her everything. Everything I felt for her. Everything I wanted to say.'

He needed to do something, anything but just sit and stare as his employer broke down, more emotion pouring out of her than he'd seen the whole time he'd been employed. 'Claire, I'm so sorry. But…'

'Don't apologise to me, Grady. I don't need your sympathy, not when you don't even…didn't even know her.' Claire snapped, enough to momentarily drag her back to Owen. But it was only short, she lost herself in her head again almost immediately. 'It's my fault she's dead, Owen. I run this park, it's my responsibility. Everything that has happened today has been my responsibility. I've failed. I've failed InGen. I've failed my guests. And I failed her. Without me, she'd still be alive.'

'Now is not the time to blame yourself, Claire…'

'She should have been with me. Her, Zach and Gray, they should have all been with me. They would have all been safe. Zara would have been safe. She would be alive now.'

'You cannot put this on yourself.' Owen took both of her hands in his firmly, holding them there despite her attempts to pull them away. She looked up at him, her eyes red. 'What has happened today is not your fault. You couldn't save Zara. No-one could save her, and you can't hurt yourself anymore by thinking that you could have done.'

'I could have done something…'

'No, you couldn't. She didn't stand a chance. There's nothing you could have done. Zach and Gray were lucky to have survived. But you can do something now, Claire. You have 20,000 people still on this island. They need somewhere to go, or they'll die too. You couldn't save Zara, her death was beyond you, but you can save your guests, your staff. You can save Zach and Gray. You can save yourself.' He stood up, still holding onto her hands to guide her up also. 'We need to take control of Jurassic World again. But no-one is going to listen to just me. They will listen to the park Operations Manager. Nobody else has to die, Claire. But I need you.'

She took her hands away and nodded. _She was Claire Dearing. This was her park. And nobody else could die now._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Mosasaurus was just under five years old, the latest tourist-grabbing attraction in Jurassic World prior to the creation of the Indominus Rex. That was not to say she was the last to be genetically engineered. The Mosasaurus DNA had been extracted almost thirty years before, in the lead up to the creation of the initial Jurassic Park. Back then, the technology had not been sophisticated enough to recognise the species of DNA being extracted and modified until, essentially, the dinosaur egg hatched in the lab. And so, the first Mosasaurus grown by InGen had been in the 1980s, and had been destroyed almost instantly upon discovery, before John Hammond realised what his geneticists had found, and the DNA sequence was logged and then locked. That is until Jurassic World.

She'd always been a problematic asset to the Park, in her own way. The Mosasaurus obviously gave the Park very little problems in regards to her enclosure, she couldn't escape like the Pachycephalosaurus was able to so easily. Nor did they have concerns over where to house her. She had her tank, far away from the other paddocks; there was no worry over her scaring the other dinosaurs. But, still, there had been problems.

For the behaviourists employed by Jurassic World, experts employed to ensure that each dinosaur displayed the expected behaviour of its species, the Mosasaurus was most concerning in her lack of hunting ability. Almost from birth, she'd been trained to eat via the crane, to leap out of the water for food in order to be most attractive for the park guests. But that had resulted in a loss of hunting ability entirely, something the park staff had only discovered when the crane had broken so they'd released live food into the tank, only to find it still swimming a week later. The behaviourists had been ignored, of course, but they were beginning to become used to being ignored by corporate.

No, the biggest concern for corporate was not the attraction herself, but the audience reaction. People, they found, didn't like the Mosasurus. They loved the shock factor, of course. The Mosasurus feeding show was arguably their most popular event. But no-one really liked the dinosaur herself. They sold very few Mosasurus stuffed toys in the gift shops. On questionnaires, no-one ever listed the Mosasurus as their favourite dinosaur. She alienated the tourists. She was both lizard and fish. She lacked the personality of the Tyrannosaurus, or the warmth of the herbivores. And without either of these, they knew the attraction would not be popular for long.

Not that the Mosasurus herself cared, at all.

She cared for very little. Swimming. Eating. She'd been pleasantly surprised to be fed again, so soon after her first feeding. Lacking both extensive sight and hearing, she had not noticed the absence of the crowd as she'd leapt out of her tank to snatch at the pterodactyl above her. Though she had noticed the different taste of her prey, the different textures on her tongue. But she had not cared, it was food nonetheless.

She had also noticed the strange sensation in her mouth. A tickling feeling that had become a choking sensation. _This was new_. Most of her instincts were gone, eradicated by genetic scientists in a laboratory, but she still understood that she needed to open her jaws if she wished the feeling to end. She thrashed in the water, her body twisting, as the last of her nature fought for her life.

* * *

Zara had been expecting death. She'd been waiting for the jaws to clamp down on her, for whatever feeling death would bring with it. But then the jaws had closed on the pterodactyl, its feet still gripping into her shoulders, and she'd been left with the horrifying realisation that she was not going to be eaten at all. _She was going to be swallowed whole_. Death would be slow. Painful. More alone than she could ever have realised it was possible to be.

Then the jaws reopened. And the Mosasurus was writhing, its body contorting, and she was no longer in the jaws, she'd been forced out back into the water. _She was still alive_. Now it was her body desperately trying to save herself, her arms and legs trying to co-ordinate to stop herself from drowning as she stared down the snout of the monster before her. Despite working at Jurassic World, she'd never really paid much heed to the dinosaurs themselves. Now she realised why. The Mosasaurus was ugly, like a giant swimming lizard, all fangs and points. It turned its head, and Zara knew that it was seeking her out, and it could see her now. Its lips seemed to retract, baring its teeth, almost like a snarl. _Or a smile_.

And then Zara's instincts kicked in. She started to swim.

She couldn't outswim the beast. She knew that. At any moment, the assistant expected to feel the bite, the searing agony, death. But it didn't come. And with every stroke, the small voice in her mind that told her to escape got stronger. Her arms were tired. Her legs were tired. The water burnt her shoulders, where the pterodactyls had ripped into the skin, almost down to the bone. But one sole thought occupied her mind. _She needed to live_. She knew the tank had ladders, safety procedures had meant they had to be installed, however unlikely it had seemed that anyone would fall in the tank. _And live to climb out._ But Zara was grateful for the thought now.

She could see the side. _100 metres away_. She kept swimming, the one thought now almost a scream in her mind. _50 metres away_. Still she expected to be caught. But the water remained undisturbed. It wasn't following her. _It didn't want her_. She kept swimming.

Once she reached the ladder, the rest was a blur. Zara felt the rungs on her hands as she climbed out, continuously looking back over her shoulder for the sight of jaws ready to encompass her again. But nothing. Every part of her burned. She hurt in places she didn't even know existed. But she forced herself to keep going. Above her, the sky was clear; the winged creatures had all flown away with the appearance of the Mosasurus. The assistant knew she should be grateful, but she couldn't spare the energy.

And then she was out. The Main Street was deserted, only the remains of the crowds were left. Shops were destroyed, the windows smashed in. On the street itself were the dead, those who'd been dropped by the pterodactyls, their bodies shattered on the ground. Those who lay partially eaten, bones exposed, their faces still a picture of horror and agony.

'Miss Young. Miss Young.' A voice. One sound amongst the eerie silence. Zara looked up to see a woman running towards her. _Claire?_ No, not Claire. She was taller, slightly younger. But Zara recognised her somehow. 'Zara?'

As she ran closer, Zara realised where she knew her from. She was one of the Starbucks baristas. She'd been served by her only hours ago, though it felt like days. She wanted to respond, but no sound came out of her mouth when she opened it.

The woman stopped running by the last shop on the street, as if scared to go out into the open any further. She beckoned Zara forwards instead, shouting, 'Zara Young, Claire's personal assistant?' She mustered up the energy to nod in response. 'We need to go. The park's in lockdown. They're evacuating. They have boats ready to leave. We can get out of here.'

 _She was saved._ Zara stumbled forward, but her legs could no longer support her, and she felt herself collapse to her knees. Blood dripped down both her chest and back from her shoulders, staining her clothes that were already ruined beyond repair. She was partially aware of the woman running towards her and kneeling down beside her, but she couldn't be sure. Finally, she felt tears of exhaustion and fear slip down her wet cheeks, and she sobbed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _'So, this the first time your nephews have visited the park?' Zara looked over at Claire, who was sat at her desk having just hung up the phone to her sister. Her assistant had walked into her office halfway through the call, and had amused herself waiting for her boss through partially eavesdropping, and partially examining the park notes pinned to a board on one wall._

 _'Yes, I haven't seen them in a few years and Karen thought this would be a nice way for us to bond again.'_

 _'You're kidding me? You've been working here 10 years and your family still hasn't visited? They must be the only people who haven't been here.'_

 _'They've never expressed the interest.'_

 _'In dinosaurs? I thought all little boys liked dinosaurs. All little girls as well, for that matter.' Zara had turned back to look at the photos of the attractions on the wall. 'Still, even without the dinosaurs, it's a holiday in Costa Rica. No-one can turn that down, surely? I mean, the second I can, I'm flying my sister out here and she couldn't care less about giant lizards.'_

 _'They're less like giant lizards, and more like leathery birds.' Claire had stood up and joined her assistant in front of the board. At Zara's raised eyebrow, she shrugged. 'These are valuable, expensive assets. It helps me do my job better if I at least know the basics.'_

 _'Well, leathery birds then. My sister still doesn't care.' She leant back against the wall, her attention fully focused on Claire now. She felt her face flush slightly under her assistant's gaze. 'So, finally after 10 years then, why now?'_

 _'You heard half of the phone call. Karen's marriage is struggling. She doesn't want the boys there when their parents meet divorce lawyers.'_

 _'So she suddenly decided to send them here?'_

 _'I finally agreed to take them.'_

 _'You're scared?' Zara asked, an amused smile on her face as she followed Claire back to the desk and took the seat opposite her. 'They're your nephews, you hardly need to be scared of spending time with them. Just show them the t-rex, they'll be talking about how great Aunt Claire is for months.'_

 _'It's not that,' she said quietly._

 _'You think you'll lose them?'_

 _'No.'_

 _'Then what?'_

 _'I've never had any family in the park, on this island...'_

 _'Tell me that Jurassic World's own Operations Manager isn't scared of the attractions?' Zara asked, and watched in shock as her boss's face went an even deeper shade of red._

 _'It's not that simple.' She was barely whispering, trying her best to hide the embarrassment on her face at what she knew was such a ridiculous concern. 'I know the old park failed over 20 years ago, and I know that since then park security and asset containment has increased massively in standard…'_

 _'But you can't help feel that the one weekend your nephews visit, after Jurassic World has been open for 10 years and had millions of visitors, will be the weekend the whole park collapses around your feet and all the attractions turn on you?' She was mocking her, Claire knew that Zara was mocking her horrifically, but something about the way she voiced it all aloud calmed her down. Her worries were suddenly lessened by hearing them from somebody else. It was an absurd way to think, she knew that. Of course, she knew that. The relief must have showed on her face because Zara's lips curved into a little smirk. 'Besides, I'm sure you'd look very heroic. Shirt tied up, hair shook out, while you run from a raptor?' She shrugged, her eyes glittering flirtatiously. 'You'd look quite hot.'_

 _She'd never been able to flirt. 'The ACU deal with all containment problems that occur on this island.'_

 _'They're your nephews. You'd be in the paddocks before the ACU could stop you if you thought something with teeth was after them.'_

 _'So not only have all the assets escaped in this situation, it's also all the ones with teeth. Of course.' Claire nodded along, unable to stop herself from laughing at her assistant. 'So I'm in…what? The t-rex paddock?'_

 _'Oh definitely.' Zara said seriously, though the flirtatious smile hadn't left her face. 'Bearing in mind you've already run from the raptors. You're having an incredibly stressful weekend.'_

 _'And where are you in all this? Scheduling all these dinosaur chases in for me, surely?'_

 _'Oh, probably dead. I have the worst survivor skills.' She waved her hand dismissively, before looking back at Claire. 'I mean, unless of course you'd fight dinosaurs for me too?'_

* * *

The conversation came back to her while she was sat watching the evacuated guests around her in the warehouse. Only ten feet away, Zach and Gray were sat with their parents, her sister holding her sons close to her, silent tears down her cheeks. She'd said nothing to Claire since arriving, acknowledging her only with a nod of the head and a small smile. But she supposed that was to be expected.

'For a while, I was scared they wouldn't make it back.'

Lost in thought, Claire was brought back to herself by Owen's voice as he sat down next to her, his gaze also directed towards her nephews. 'I don't think they would have done without you, Mr Grady.'

'Or you. It was you who opened the tyrannosaur paddock. That took some guts.'

'It was also me who helped create the Indominus Rex and put their lives into danger in the first place.' She looked over at the man beside her, her face drained, clearly exhausted. 'Please don't try paint me like some hero. I don't deserve that, and I don't have the energy to argue with you.'

'How are you doing, Claire?' He sounded genuinely concerned, but Claire couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at the question.

'You can read velociraptors fine, Mr Grady, people less so,' she said. 'But you asked, so I'll answer. I just watched everything I've worked towards for the last 10 years fall to pieces. I've watched as laboratory-created monsters have rampaged and killed. I've seen people die in front of me. Hundreds, maybe thousands of guests dead. My employer dead. And the woman that I loved, perhaps the first person I've ever loved like I did her, dead.' She didn't even have the energy to cry anymore, the most she could muster was anger. But she seemed to have that in excess. 'So, surprisingly, I'm not quite doing so well right now. Though were you really expecting any other answer?'

'I don't like to assume.'

'You know, Zara asked me once what I'd do if the park did collapse. I was thinking about it before you sat down. She wanted to know what I'd do if she was ever in danger. She was joking, the whole conversation had been a joke, but do you know what I said?' She didn't wait for him to respond, though Owen felt she wouldn't have paid much attention anyway. 'I said nothing. I completely changed the conversation. I started talking about profit margins, and business meetings. I was so scared at the time, of feeling anything, anything that I couldn't control. Scared of saying anything that would leave me vulnerable. Scared of losing her by being too honest. And I lost her anyway, but now I have to live with the regret of her never knowing that I would have run into ever paddock on that damn island for her, and fought every single one of those dinosaurs if that could have saved her life.'

'And died in the process?'

'Part of me wishes I did.' She noted the horror on his face as she spoke and frowned. 'Please don't try and lecture me, Mr Grady. Not until you have the number of deaths on your head as I do mine.'

'You can't keep blaming yourself, Claire…'

'Can't I?' She questioned, her head turned so she could look him directly in the eyes as she spoke. 'Every single person in this room right now blames me for what happened on that island. Masrani is dead. Hoskins is dead. Wu is gone, I don't know where. That means sole responsibility lies with me. Responsibility for the Indominus, for the security failures, for the deaths. All on me.'

'You didn't make any of the fatal decisions, you were just following orders. People will see that.' He wanted to be reassuring. He wanted to tell her that he knew what she was feeling. He was a Navy man, guilt was an ever present companion to him. Though he did not think such words would help, or even be heard.

'Don't be naïve, Owen. Hundreds of people died in the park in the space of 24 hours. Thousands of people's lives were at risk. You really think they won't be looking for someone to blame?'

'You did what you could.'

'And it wasn't enough. Something I have to live with now.'

Owen was almost grateful for the interruption of their conversation at this moment, as one of the doctors sent to treat the evacuated guests approached them, calling Claire's name. Claire did not seem to notice, only becoming aware of the man when Owen pointed him out for her. She beckoned him over, not moving herself, her feet screaming from the heels she'd been forced to wear for the last day.

'Claire? Claire Dearing?' He asked as he walked closer, and she nodded slowly. 'You were the Operations Manager for Jurassic World?'

'I am in no mood right now to deal with any complaints, or criticisms, or abuse.' She knew how this conversation would go. She knew it would be the first in a long line of conversations in which she would be abused and blamed for the park's failure. But she wasn't ready for those to start yet. 'I am the Operations Manager for Jurassic World. The events that have occurred were tragic and unforgivable, and I am in no way attempting to avoid my responsibilities. I know you, and many others, need someone to blame. However, I was also on the island. I have also lost people, people very close to me. And I could do with some time to deal with that before I can have a proper conversation with you, or anyone, about what happened.'

'Miss Dearing, I…'

'Look, give her some space.' Owen interrupted, standing up to meet the doctor at eye level. 'There are a lot of people here who need medical attention, treat those people. Stop pestering someone who clearly doesn't want to speak to you.'

She usually hated unnecessary male chivalry. _She could handle herself_. But at that moment, Claire could not have been more grateful. Not that Owen made a lot of difference, the doctor remained stood there.

'Claire Dearing, you are correct, I do hold you accountable for the devastation you see around you right now. But, that is not why I am here. I need you to come with me.'

'Did you hear anything that either myself or Mr Grady here just said to you?' Claire stood up as well, ignoring the pain in her legs and feet, to confront the doctor. 'I am not in the mood to engage in any sort of discussion with you, here or elsewhere. There are people here who really need you, why not help them? Rather than standing here and…'

'Claire?'

The voice was enough to stop her mid-sentence. The shaking, British accented voice. Though Claire couldn't immediately process it. _It wasn't possible. It was her imagination._ She was silent as a figure, the owner of the voice that had caused Claire's heart to stop, walked closer to her from behind the doctor. _This wasn't real_. But she kept walking closer, until she was close enough for Claire to see the scratches on her arms, and note the tightness of the bandages across the shoulders. The green eyes she thought she would never get a chance to look into again, and she felt her own begin to well up.

'Zara.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Claire could feel herself shaking as she approached her assistant and embraced her, pulling her closer until Claire could feel her fluttering heartbeat against her own and then she held her tightly. She felt Zara's arms wrap around her and a relieved smile seemed to bloom across her face. Behind them, she could swear she heard Owen excuse himself and leave, but she was oblivious to everything around her except the feel of Zara's body against her own, and the storm of emotions in her chest. She couldn't be sure how long they had been stood together, however long didn't seem long enough, when she felt her assistant sag against her slightly and she felt herself begin to panic.

The alarm must have registered on the Operations Manager's face because the doctor, still stood near, took one of Zara's arms and helped Claire sit her down. At Claire's wide eyes, he explained, 'We had to sedate Miss Young quite heavily. Her injuries are severe, although they may not look much. I asked her to stay resting; I was supposed to take you to her. She had other ideas, it seems.'

'She'll recover though? She'll be ok?'

'Miss Young will need urgent medical care at a hospital. But yes, she should recover.'

'Claire?'

She glanced away from the doctor and back to her assistant, who was looking up at her with wide, glazed eyes. She dismissed the doctor, and sat down beside Zara, who immediately rested her head on her employer's shoulder and closed her eyes. Almost instinctively, Claire wrapped her arm around her and kissed her head gently. Her assistant smiled tiredly at the touch and took Claire's other hand in hers.

'I thought I was going to die, Claire,' she said softly, her voice weaker as the sedatives kicked in. 'And there was so much I hadn't said.'

'I have things to say too.' She moved her hand up from Zara's arm to stroke her hair gently. 'But later. We can do everything later. I'm not leaving you on your own this time.'

She could feel her head get heavier against her shoulder, and she knew that her assistant was beginning to sleep. Claire looked up, and caught her sister's eye from where she was sat with the boys still. Karen's eyes passed over Zara, noting Claire's arm around her and their entwined fingers. She nodded, this time not just in recognition, but in approval. Karen then gestured to her sons, still alive, still unharmed, and she mouthed two words carefully, to make sure her sister understood them entirely.

' _Thank you_.'

* * *

Zara awoke to find herself lying on a bed surrounded by bright, white lights and a steady background beeping. Then she felt the pain. In her shoulders mainly, from the claws. In her stomach, from the beaks that had gripped her. And then, strangely, a sharp pain in her arm, as though she had something stuck into the skin. But she had no time to examine herself before she had ginger hair falling over her, and hands almost manically caressing her face.

'I've been so worried. How are you feeling, Zara? I've been so scared. Do you know what happened?'

'I don't know where I am.' Dazed, Zara shook her head in a panic, trying to shake away the touch. 'I don't know where I am.'

At the fear on her assistant's face, Claire took her hands away and sat back, as if suddenly aware of the need not to overcrowd her. 'Hospital, Zara, you're in the hospital.'

'I don't remember…'

'You don't remember? Are you feeling alright? What can you remember? You know who I am, don't you? The doctors never mentioned a head injury, does your head hurt? Did you damage it?'

'Please, Claire, I'm feeling ok.' She sat up slightly, wincing at the pain as she moved. She shook her head again at the worried look that passed over her employer's face as she watched. 'I just…why am I here? The doctor bandaged me, after the evacuation? Why don't I remember being brought here?'

Claire felt herself breathe a sigh of relief as Zara spoke. Part of her worry seemed to dissolve at Zara's movement, even with the pain, and at the clarity of her speech. 'You collapsed. You were brought here immediately. Originally, the doctors thought maybe an infection, but they're suspecting it might have been a reaction to the pterodactyl talons. The tests will take time; it's like nothing they've seen before. The park always had its own medical team.'

'And I've been out for how long? A couple of hours?'

'A couple of days, in and out. This is the most awake you've been. They kept you under while they tested your wounds and stitched them up, but then you didn't reawaken.' She looked away as she spoke, not wanting to show Zara the extent of the worry she'd felt as she'd sat beside her bed the last few days. Zara already seemed to have some idea however, and she reached out a hand to take Claire's. She looked back at her assistant and gave a small smile. 'This is the most alert you've been since the warehouse.'

'This is the most alert I've felt.' She glanced around the room, finally examining her surroundings. It was a large clean room, bright lights illuminating the entire space. A large window filled one wall, and opposite were two chairs and a small table. The table was covered with empty food wrappers and a small pile of dirty clothes. _All the signs that her side had not been left since she'd been admitted_. Her gaze landed eventually on Claire, sat on her bed still, holding her hand loosely, trying not to repeat her manic behaviour from earlier. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes, accentuated from being set in such pale skin. Her face and arms were cut, nothing deep but still noticeable. Her clothes were clean and new, but poor quality, clearly a desperate purchase from the nearest store. But the relief on her face as she looked at Zara seemed to distract from everything. 'It looks expensive here.'

'I made sure you were taken to the top hospital in the area, and you were given one of the best treatment rooms.' She nodded. 'So, yes, it's a fortune.'

'I trust InGen is footing the bill?'

'InGen is currently working with Masrani Global Corporation to deal with the aftermath of the Jurassic World incident. They're too busy to deal with medical expenses, especially the vast amount of requests they will no doubt be receiving. So, no, I'm paying for this. I have enough.'

'Claire, no…'

'I can afford it. For you, I can afford it.' She smiled again, trying to reassure her assistant, but inwardly cursed herself. _Small talk. So much damn small talk_. She knew what she wanted to say. Every single thing that had crossed her mind when she'd thought it was too late to say it was now on the tip of her tongue. And now she had the chance. But it just wouldn't come out. Even with everything, her words seemed to be stuck. Perhaps more so than before, now she had already felt the pain that losing Zara would cause her. _And so awkward small talk continued_. 'The doctors stitched your wounds. But they said to warn they would scar.'

'So no bikinis for a while?'

'No.'

'Not that I can quite stomach the idea of swimming at all. Not after that.' Just the mention of water caused her heart to pound, and she had to force her mind not to flashback to the park. To the ache in her limbs as she forced herself to swim, bile in her throat rising in fear. She closed her eyes tight and took a couple of deep breaths. 'I think once I leave here, I just want to go home.'

'Of course.' Claire shook her head, her voice still light, though she felt her heart drop in her chest. It was perhaps that feeling that caused her to begin rambling. 'Home, as in Britain? Or America? Did you live in America before you worked at the park? Of course, you must have, you had an American address on your resume…'

'Please, Claire.' Zara reached out her hand and stroked the other woman's cheek gently. At the touch, Claire stopped.

'I'm doing a terrible job at all this. I wanted to reassure you, not the other way around.' She could feel herself blushing under the touch, her cheek almost burning. 'Home, then? England home? I can imagine a rural retreat in the English countryside would be welcome right now.'

'I don't need reassuring. And I don't want to _retreat into the English countryside._ Good Lord, Claire, where do you think I live? I don't mean England, or America. I want to go home with you,' she said, and instantly regretted such a blatant statement. But she refused to take it back, looking Claire directly in the eyes as she spoke. 'I can't keep doing this, dancing around what I need to say to you. I thought I was going to die, Claire. I thought I was going to die on that island. As I was hanging there, I could see it. The mosasaurus. I could see it beneath me. I thought I was going to die. And my last thought was you. It could have been anything, or anyone, but it wasn't. It was you. It was everything I never got the chance to say to you. Everything I've been desperate to say but never seemed to find the words. And hanging there, I found the words. But it was too late.' She shook her head in disbelief, as if even she couldn't believe her own words as she said them. 'And then I got another chance. By some miracle, I got another chance. And I can't waste it this time. I need to tell you how beautiful you are, Claire, and how proud I am of you. I need to tell you how happy I am with you and…'

'I love you.' Claire blurted out, the words that had been stuck on her tongue finally loose. She had been almost staring into her lap while Zara had been speaking, but she looked back up then, and Zara saw the tears that had slipped down her cheeks.

'I love you,' she repeated, and she watched as her employer blushed again, unable to fight the small smile on her lips for a moment or so, before she became more serious once again.

'I thought I'd lost you, Zara. I thought you were dead, because of me. Because I left you alone. Because I couldn't do my job. And I wasn't sure how I was going to cope without you. I didn't want to cope without you. I never want to.' She laughed as she spoke, a tired, relieved laugh at the sheer feeling of finally saying everything she thought she never could. 'I want to introduce you to everyone. My sister. My mom. Introduce you properly to the boys. I want to take you on ridiculous coffee dates like kids in college. I want to move far away from here and keep you safe like I didn't manage to on that island.' She took both of Zara's hands and looked her directly in the eyes, a small smile on her lips. 'I know how it feels to mourn you. To have our last conversation be a fight, and our last communication be a panicked phone call. I never want that again. When you're well, we are leaving. We've leaving this island, and the park, and corporate far behind us.' She had moved further up the bed as she'd been speaking, until she was close enough to lean in and rest her forehead against Zara's, her hand going to caress her cheek. 'I'm not losing you again, Zara.'

Her assistant brought her own hand up to place over Claire's, and kissed her lightly. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before eventually, Zara whispered, 'And InGen?'

'InGen can fuck themselves.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _ **This is going to be my last chapter for this fic. Thank you so much to everyone who has spent their time reading and reviewing x**_

The first phone call came at precisely 10.17am on a Tuesday. Zara knew this for definite, as it was displayed brightly on the bedside clock when she nudged Claire awake. She woke slowly, lost still in a deep sleep despite the late hour of the morning.

'Let me sleep, Zara, please,' she moaned groggily, turning over in the bed.

'Claire, it's InGen on the phone. They said it's urgent,' Zara said, and Claire rolled back over, suddenly alert. 'Or, trust me, I'd have told them where to go.'

'No. No, it's fine.' Claire stood, and pushed the hair out of her face. 'Wait here, just while I answer the call.'

Zara sat down on the bed and watched as Claire left their bedroom to answer the phone in the apartment kitchen. This was the first contact from InGen that either woman had had since that weekend, over three months ago. Claire had contacted them, of course, in her organised way, to hand over both her and her assistant's formal resignations and report Zara's change of address for any further paperwork, as she moved into Claire's American apartment after finally being released from the hospital. Her shoulders were heavily scarred, but then they always would be. She'd taken to subconsciously avoiding vests, if only to avoid the stares that came with them. Both women however, had been naïve to think that the scars would be the only memento from the park.

 _Strangely, the nightmares had not been instantaneous. Perhaps it was the drugs provided in the hospital that had meant Zara had slept so peacefully before. Perhaps it was the worrying over her assistant that had kept Claire's mind from straying. Or perhaps it was the noise of the city, the constant buzz of the cars outside the window that sounded so much like the distant roaring of dinosaurs. But the first night of city sleeping had seen Zara sobbing in the darkness, woken by her own screams. Claire was woken also, her arms instantly flying around the other woman, pulling her close._

 _'I can't do it. I can't swim any faster. I'm going to die. Oh God, I'm going to die.'_

 _'You're safe, Zara, you're safe. It's over, it's all over. I have you now. You're with me. I'm not letting you go again,' Claire had whispered, holding Zara tightly until she regained control of herself and let herself give way to sleep once more. Claire didn't mention her own nightmares, but she lay awake for hours more, hearing the soft snarling of the Indominus whenever she closed her eyes. The next day, she slept until midday._

 _And so their nights were set._

Although she was sat silently, she couldn't hear Claire's phone call, even though only one thin wall divided the rooms. Claire must have taken the phone elsewhere, which was a worrying sign. InGen finally getting in contact was concern enough, without further secrecy.

She returned to the bedroom half an hour later, her face drawn, her eyes red as though on the verge of crying, although her cheeks were dry. 'InGen is launching an inquest into my behaviour. They want to know if the incident at Jurassic World was due to management negligence.'

'Bastards.'

'Zara!'

'After three months, they now decide they need to investigate the park?' Zara asked, raising an eyebrow. 'They want a scapegoat, and you're the only high ranking member of staff to survive. So, what happens if their investigation succeeds then? If they find you guilty?'

'I get prosecuted.' She sat down slowly on the bed beside the other woman and felt a tear slip down her cheek. 'If they find me guilty, if they can prove that I knew of the risks being by asset containment and by the geneticists yet I let them continue, I can be prosecuted for negligence of duty.'

'Claire.' Zara put her arm around her shoulder as she cried harder, the reality of her situation only just sinking in. 'They won't find anything, Claire. You were the best damn employee on that island. They won't find anything.'

* * *

The second phone call, Zara was less sure about. She knew it was while she was on her own in the apartment. She knew that for definite because she spent an hour after the call just sat beside the phone in a daze, trying to plan the conversation she needed to have with Claire in her head. When she finally heard the door open and slam, she stood up, her heart pounding, to meet Claire in the living room.

Claire looked over at her former assistant stood in the kitchen doorway. 'I didn't get the job. Nobody wants to employ a woman currently being investigated by her former employers for the deaths of a couple of thousand people, and the closure of the World's biggest tourist attraction.'

'You'll find a job, Claire.' Zara took a step forward just as Claire sighed and sat down on the sofa.

'I haven't been unemployed since college, Zara. I think I'm going mad…'

'InGen phoned, while you were out,' Zara interrupted.

'Did you take a message?'

'They didn't phone for you.' All the ways she'd imagined this conversation had vanished. She just wanted it over. 'They phoned for me. They want me to give evidence at the inquest.'

'That's good, isn't it?' Claire frowned. 'You worked with me the whole time I was Operations Manager. You handled all of my files, all of my meetings. You know I was never negligent…'

'They want me to give evidence against you.' She tried to keep her voice neutral, but she felt her heart crack slightly as she watched Claire's face fall. 'They don't want to question me as your assistant, but as one of the only surviving attack victims.'

'And you're going to do it?'

'I don't have a lot of choice, Claire.'

'Great.' She nodded, a forced smile on her face, as she sat back in her seat. 'So, I work for InGen for 10 years. I work hard. I get promoted all the way to Operations Manager. I keep their profits up. I help build new attractions. Then, it goes wrong for reasons entirely beyond my control, because corporate couldn't just make do with the assets we already had, and yet I end up unemployed, under investigation, and my girlfriend is asked to help prosecute me. Great. This is all just great.'

'Claire, I'm sorry.' Zara sat down beside her. 'If it was up to me, you know I wouldn't. There was nothing you could do for me. I'm sorry.'

'I know. Of course, I know.' She spoke reassuringly, but she kept her gaze straight ahead, refusing to meet the eyes of her former assistant.

* * *

The break-up perhaps was inevitable. Or, at least, Zara felt it coming. They were both too tired, too plagued by nightmares, to commit to each other the way they both needed. And the investigation was going poorly, something Zara knew Claire blamed her for, however subconsciously. But she wasn't surprised to wake up one morning to find Claire already awake and dressed, her bags packed by the door, a pained look in her eyes as she met Zara's. They didn't talk. They didn't need to. Claire went to say something, but decided against it, and left Zara in silence and Zara waited until the door had been closed behind her to break down on the floor.

The knock on the door a mere week later, however, was less expected. As was the sight of Claire on the doorstep, tears in her pale eyes. 'Zara.'

'If you're here for the rest of your things, I can send them to you,' Zara said coldly, trying her hardest not to let the sight of Claire looking so hurt affect her. 'I assumed you would be staying with your sister. Or Owen.'

'No. Owen? God, no…Zara.' Claire shook her head. 'I'm not here for my things. I'm not here for anything except you. I'm sorry.'

'You're sorry?'

'Everything has been getting to me. Getting to us. I thought that maybe being together still wasn't helping either of us. That being around each other just brought back the memories we both needed to forget. I was wrong. Please,' she pleaded, reaching out a hand to take Zara's. 'I lose you in my sleep every night; I can't lose you when I'm awake too.'

* * *

The inquest lasted another month, but Claire felt stronger now they were reunited once more. They slept no better, both waking drenched in sweat in the early hours of the morning, but they no longer harboured the slight resentment towards each other for the loss of sleep. Zara got a job, nothing grand, a secretary for some PR company in the city, but it was office based and entirely safe. Claire found her days taken up by new things, activities she'd struggled to find time for while she was working. She started to read all the classic novels she hadn't had the time for since college. She started cooking. She finally started talking to her sister more regularly. And then she had something new to plan. She had a wedding.

 _'The inquest is set to conclude by the end of next week,' Claire said as they lay in bed together, staring at the ceiling in the dark. 'By the end of next week, I will either be a free, employable woman again, or I will be officially a criminal.'_

 _'They can't find you guilty. Everything that went wrong on that island was due to decisions made by corporate, not you.'_

 _'And if they do?' Claire turned her head to look at Zara. 'If they do decide to hold me accountable, what will you do?'_

 _'What will I do?'_

 _'Thousands of people died on that island. If I'm found guilty, I will be officially responsible for their deaths. That's a long prison sentence.' She paused for a second, before asking in a whisper, 'would you wait?'_

 _'Of course. Claire, of course.' She rolled over. Though she couldn't see her, she knew she was meeting Claire's eyes in the dark. With a hand, she caressed the other woman's face. 'I can't promise my parents will be too impressed with their daughter having a girlfriend in prison, of course.'_

 _She was joking. Of course, she was joking. But the words seemed to fall out of Claire's mouth before she had chance to stop them. 'What about a wife?'_

 _'Claire?' Zara turned back over and sat up quickly, flicking on the bedside light. She looked down at her ex-employer with wide eyes. 'Did you honestly just ask me that? Did you just ask me to marry you? Do you mean it?'_

 _Claire sat up slower, the words she herself just said still registering in her brain. 'Yes. Yes, I mean it. I want it.'_

 _'You can't be serious, Claire? Just a month ago, you left.'_

 _'And I came back. We've been through more together than most couples do over the course of their entire relationship. There is no-one else who will be able to understand either of us they way we understand one another. Or, at least there isn't for me.' Claire paused, before giving an embarrassed smile. 'I know this isn't the way you'll have wanted this to happen. I can redo it. Do it properly. Down on one knee with a ring. Make sure I'm not in a pencil skirt, of course. But I'll love you the same then as now, I promise. Will you marry me?'_

 _'Yes. Yes. Yes. My God, yes.'_

* * *

The day of the verdict came quickly after that, as big events often do. Claire Dearing awoke dreading the day until it actually arrived, when instead she awoke with a sense of calm. There was nothing more that could be done. More so than when she was running from raptors and rexes, her life was out of her hands. She was now either entirely innocent, or responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Her face had been on the front cover of newspapers since the park collapsed, so she had no fear of public reaction. She feared for her sister. She feared for Zara. But of her own fate, she felt cool. Calm. _It was out of her hands_.

* * *

Zara cried when Claire was declared innocent. She cried harder when it was declared that, after discussions with the Costa Rican government, to avoid any further loss of life, the island of Isla Nublar was to be subject to an airstrike and the remains of Jurassic World were to be destroyed. The women watched the live footage in their apartment, broadcast on almost every news channel, and both sat in silence as the park that risked both of their lives was finally destroyed.

It was unsurprising perhaps that that was the first night they both slept soundly.


End file.
